Alice Of Unova: The Story Untold
by Kurakuma
Summary: Alice is a girl with strong empathic abilities and a sunny disposition. She, alongside her best friends Cheren and Bianca, goes on to be a trainer for the record books. In a story based roughly on the games, watch as Alice's ability gets her into all sorts of troubling situations; from fainting in crowds to falling for the so called enemy, poor Alice can't catch a break!
1. Chapter 1: Promise

**To anyone reading this:**

 **Hi there, I am Kurakuma. Call me Kuma or Kura, don't bother with both. I have a tendency to post erratically, so I apologize in advance if my slow updates get to be annoying. I like writing short stories (if by writing you include typing) and a lot of my stories go unread by anyone other than me, and as a result several go unfinished. I've been thinking I should get feedback from people who don't really know me so the opinion isn't biased, so please tell me what you think of my stories. I'm not saying light my inbox up with rude flames, but your opinions are appreciated. I'm still a bit new to this so hopefully at least some of you enjoy my stories?**

 **Disclaimer: Kura does not own pokemon, kuma.**

* * *

The sun peeked into the window of 15 year old Alice Blitzer, rousing her slowly from her heavy sleep. She turned away and cracked an eyelid, sleepy amber eyes checking the clock beside her bed. She scrunched her little nose and sighed, throwing the covers off of herself and sitting upright, bracing her hands behind her and swinging to place her feet on the cold wood flooring. It only covered a small area of her room, just in front of the bed, and it served the purpose of waking her up with its cold, hard surface. Glancing out her window she spotted a grey pigeon outside and she let it in, smiling when it hopped onto her outstretched arm.

"Morning Dovely, how are you?" 'Dovely' was her neighbors Pidove, a spacey little bird who worked like a carrier bird for the kids of Nuvema town. 'Dovely' cooed happily before fishing a small envelope from a little brown bag and handing it to the girl. She accepted it and handed the bird a small treat that was eagerly devoured before it took off through the window. She opened her envelope and read the folded paper inside before jumping up and getting dressed. She pulled her blue night shirt off and chucked it into her laundry basket before slipping on the outfit she'd picked out for the day; a dark blue pair of thick yoga pants with a pale yellow scalchop on each thigh, a warm light blue ¾ sleeve sweater, and black gloves. She grabbed a blue barrette and pulled her hair into a ponytail, fixing it in the mirror so it sat high on her head. After a quick glance around she nodded, grabbing a bag she'd packed the night before and bounding down the hall.

"I'll be back soon dad! Gonna go meet Cheren and Bianca at Ms. Juniper's lab." She added, slipping on her black running shoes and running out the door, aiming for the lab.

As the white building came into view so did her friends.

"Bianca! Cheren! Sorry I took so long!" The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes fondly.

"C'mon Alice, even Bianca got here on time." Said girl puffed out her cheeks, a faint blush on her indignant face.

"Hey! I can be on time you know...sometimes.." She glanced away and twirled her fingers at the other two's deadpan expressions. They all laughed and headed into the lab, eyes wandering until they locked onto the three pokeballs on the pedestal and widened.

"Welcome you three. I take it you're here for your starters?" A pretty woman with light brown hair stepped in the room with a bright smile. Bianca nodded enthusiastically and Alice was practically vibrating with excitement, Cheren just chuckled at them, being the more mature of the three, but the girls could see the way his eyes lit up and how he clenched and unclenched his hands eagerly. The professor laughed, "Good. Now let's introduce the starters shall we?" The tall woman released each pokemon one by one from their capsules.

"First up, we have the grass-type starter, Snivy!" A slender green snake emerged from the ball with a leaf on it, materializing in front of the trio. Its intelligent brown eyes skimmed over them in mild interest before resting on Cheren. Cheren blinked when it extended a slender vine to him in a sort of handshake before chuckling and shaking the vine in return. Snivy nodded in satisfaction and the girl's smiled.

"That was too cute." The girls turned back to the professor and she released the next one, a small, orange and black piglet with a red orb on the tip of its curly tail,

"This one is Tepig, the fire-type starter." He wagged his tail and snorted a little cloud of smoke happily before sniffling around the floor. Alice nudged Bianca forward and grinned. Bianca gave her a thankful look before crouching and holding her hand out to the little fire pig. He sniffed it, snorted, then rubbed his head against it. Bianca squealed quietly and picked him up for a hug. He wagged his tail happily.

"And last but not least, Oshawott, the water-type starter. " A light blue and white sea otter emerged from his ball, looking around at the humans in the room curiously before seeing his fellow starters with two of the humans. Understanding flashed through his eyes and he glanced at the girl without a pokemon. She smiled at him and squatted to his eye level.

"Hi there Oshawott, nice to meet you!" He gave her a toothy smile as she rubbed his head gently, peering into calm brown eyes.

Alice heard a faint click in the back of her mind and her eyes widened slightly at the sudden influx of memories flowing into her head, making her a bit dizzy. As the images faded she scooped him up and added, "I can already tell you're a smart one, I'd be happy to have you as my starter." The otter blinked and nodded, surprised but not opposed to having the bubbly girl as his trainer. Professor Juniper cleared her throat, prompting the three new trainers to look at her. She held out three small devices to them, each a different color, and they took the color that suited them most; a blueish grey for Cheren, light green for Bianca, and a light blue for Alice. "These are your Pokedexes, they can give you information on any pokemon you'll find here in the Unova region. Why don't you try them on your new friends?" The teens glanced at each other before nodding, the girls placed their starters down.

"Guess we'll go first." Cheren pointed his pokedex at Snivy and started slightly when a digital voice spoke.

 **Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm, and collected, Snivy uses photosynthesis to collect energy with the leaf on its tail. This allows Snivy to move more quickly. However, the tail will begin to droop when Snivy loses energy.**

 **This Snivy is a male and carries the ability Overgrow.**

 **Moves: Tackle, Leer, Vine Whip, Glare (Locked).**

Cheren nodded and patted the grass snake approvingly. "Nice moves Snivy."

Bianca bounced in place with her pokedex. "We'll go next then!" She aimed her pokedex at her Tepig, listening attentively as it started to rattle off the fire pig's information.

 **Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. Tepig is a nimble Pokémon capable of blowing fire from its snout. It will cloak itself in these flames in order to use its signature move, Heat Crash. When ill, this pokemon will spout thick black smoke instead of flames.**

 **This Tepig is Male and carries the ability Blaze.**

 **Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Ember, Curse (Locked).**

"What does Curse do?" Bianca rubbed her piglet between the ears with a confused tilt of her head. Alice thought for a moment before saying.

"Curse works differently for ghost types, but for any other type it raises the power and defense of a pokemon in exchange for lowering their speed." Bianca ah'ed and grinned at her pokemon.

"Cool!"

"Our turn," Alice scanned her Oshawott curiously, interested to see what it had to say about her starter.

 **Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach. This shell is made of the same material as its claws, and is used for both battle and cracking hard berries.**

 **This Oshawott is Male and carries the ability Torrent and locked hidden ability Shell Armor.**

 **Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Detect (Locked)**

"Detect huh.. _And_ a hidden ability? You're a special one aren't you." Oshawott ducked his head shyly and she laughed. Cheren and Bianca smiled at the pair before the three trainers turned back to Professor Juniper.

"Now that you've gotten acquainted with your starters, do any of you know how to properly catch a pokemon?" Alice and Cheren nodded and Bianca shrugged.

"Kinda. These two said they'd show me when we get to Route one." Juniper nodded and handed each of them 5 simple pokeballs as well as the ball of their starter. After a short discussion Cheren returned his Snivy to his ball to rest until they reached route one.

"In that case that's all I have to give you. Good luck you three, have fun! Remember, any pokemon you catch over the 6-pokemon limit will be transferred here, so when you reach that point feel free to check in with them frequently. The lab's number should be programmed into your Xtransceivers..Any questions?"

"No."

"Nope!"

"I think we're set, thanks miss Juniper!"

The woman smiled and waved them off, "Alright then kids, I'll see you later, don't be strangers!" All three kids walked out of her labs, Bianca skipping a bit in front with her Tepig while her friends walked behind her talking about the route to the next town. Juniper shook her head and smiled, turning back to her research.

* * *

About halfway through Route one they decided to stop for lunch. The three enjoyed a short lunch and some relaxation time with their Pokémon. By this point both Bianca and Cheren had caught a new pokemon each, a Patrat for Cheren and a Lillipup for Bianca, while Alice was being a bit more picky in her selection.

"I just haven't found one that clicks with me and Musa yet." They'd battled plenty though, and Musashi the Oshawott had gained plenty of battle experience. Cheren rolled his eyes, feeding his Patrat a piece of his apple as he commented.

"Alice just admit you aren't into Lillipups and Patrats, we won't be offended." She pouted and patted her starter as he ate a piece of banana.

"I mean they're cute, but I just can't see you training one, honestly." Bianca added in her two cents, "Maybe a Purrloin or something, but not a Lillipup or Patrat.." Alice shrugged.

"If I find one that clicks. Liepard can be absolute terrors in battle, Grimsley proved that much with his." They cleaned up their lunch area and set off again, Cheren leading with his Town Map now that Alice had led them for the first half. They chatted most of the way, with the occasional lapse in conversation remaining just long enough to enjoy a comfortable silence. The topics changed at random in a way that only the best of friends could make sense of the spastic shifts. As Accumula came into view they cheered, the sunset glowing as the girls took the lead and pulled the pokedex surfing Cheren along behind them. He sighed and twisted from their grip only to jog behind them, ready to rest in the pokemon center himself.

* * *

"Finally!" Alice sighed contently as she relaxed into the red lounge couch. She was waiting for their Pokémon while the others went ahead to their rooms (she lost a game of rock-paper-scissors) and she was glad to get off her feet after spending most of the day traveling. She stretched across the arm of the couch before hearing her name being called by the pink haired nurse at the counter. The woman sat a tray with their Pokéballs on the counter.

"Everyone is in good condition, though Oshawott may still be a bit tired. Don't work him so hard next time." Alice scratched her cheek.

"Sorry nurse Joy." She released her sea otter and picked him up apologetically. "You too buddy, I know we should find another teammate so you don't have to battle as much." The otter shook his head and smiled up at her. She felt waves of happiness mixing with tiredness and determination from him when he gave her a cute toothy grin. She grinned back and they waved to the nurse before heading to the room they would be sharing with Bianca. They'd gotten adjoining rooms, one with twin bunk beds for the girls, the other with a single bed for Cheren, both with their own bathrooms. After tossing Bianca her two, she'd put small stickers on them, she sat Musashi down on her bunk and knocked on the adjoining door of Cheren's room before walking in. He was shirtless, sitting on his bed drying his hair with a small towel. Alice blushed lightly as he turned blue eyes to look at her and she held up his pokeballs. He stood and walked closer, amused at her reaction but deciding against teasing, and plucked his pokemon from her hands with a chuckle. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." She snorted and pushed him back to his bed, annoyed when she sensed his teasing tone.

"I'm going shopping for supplies you snit. Do you need anything?" He shook his head.

"No, I'm good. Might want to check with Bianca though, you know how she is." She nodded and walked back through the door to her room.

"Hey Bi, you need anything from the store?" Alice scooped up her starter as she sifted through her bag for her wallet. Bianca was silent a moment before she called out a negative from her place on top.

"I have everything for once. Mom helped me pack." Alice nodded and left the room again, this time aiming for the poke mart in the main lobby of the center. As she went to enter there was a commotion outside, drawing her and Musashi's attention away from their shopping list.

"Wonder what's going on out there…" The pair looked at each other and nodded, opting to be nosy and exiting the center. The sun was setting yet people were gathered in the plaza it would seem.

"An assembly of some sort?" She spotted a few people in odd suits standing behind a tall, robed man with pale green hair and tilted her head. "Who are they?"

* * *

"Greetings to you all, my name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

Alice's eyes widened and she listened to the murmurs of the surrounding crowd.

The green-haired man strode across the risen platform, "Now, I'm sure many of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However, is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps, we humans, only _assume_ it is the truth?" Ghetsis looked into the crowd to meet the eyes of each person briefly, seeming to stay focused on Alice for a moment longer than the others before moving on.

"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of their trainers." Alice glanced down at her Oshawott uncertainly. "They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work." The uncertainty of the crowd was beginning to make the emotionally tuned girl dizzy. "Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" The girl caught several head shakes near her. Surely he was wrong? Did not one see that? Pokemon are powerful creatures, a pokeball does not usually destroy a pokemon's will. If they didn't want to be with a trainer, most would fight back. Alice tightened her hold slightly on her friend.

"Now, ladies and gentleman, Pokemon are different from humans. They are powerful beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"What could it be?"

"Liberation?"

Alice chewed her lip at the wave of unease, the emotions of the number of people beginning to make it hard to remain upright. She placed her Oshawott down and nearly fell over. Her pokemon looked on in confusion and worry, seeming to want to help but unsure how.

' _Alice? What's wrong?_ ' He placed his little paws on her leg in a futile attempt to help her stay up and she gave him a grateful look but her eyes remained a bit glassy and unfocused.

"That's right! We must liberate the pokemon! Then, and only then, will pokemon and humans truly be equals!" The man, Ghetsis, strode to the front of the risen platform. "Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon..and the correct way to proceed."

The line of grunts bowed and Ghetsis gave a regal bow of his own.

"We appreciate your attention. Have a wonderful evening." The group strode off stage to the whispers of the gathered crowd. Alice was swaying on her feet and not for the first time she was cursing her high awareness. She glanced down into the worried brown eyes of her Oshawott and tried to pull herself together.

She opened her mouth to say something and her knees gave in, nearly dropping her to the ground if not for someone coming to her aid. She felt an arm wrap around her waist to steady her and she dragged in a shaky breath as she turned her head to see who'd helped her. A green-haired boy a few years older than her was gazing at her with worried green eyes.

"Are you alright?" She leaned gratefully against his side as she tried to steady her breathing, which had gone slightly erratic. She was moments from a panic attack, a rare thing for her nowadays.

"... _way_... _re.._ " The boy leaned down closer to hear her better and she swallowed dryly before trying again. " _Get me away from here."_ He looked down at her Pokémon and nodded, picking her up easily and striding away from the plaza to an empty park. He set her on a bench and sat beside her, watching her Oshawott whine at her quietly, obviously worried.

"Sorry about that. Thank you…"

"Just call me N.. And no problem, though..what exactly happened back there?" She smiled sheepishly.

"My emotional awareness is pretty high. I'm empathic, and I can feel the emotions of people and Pokémon. But I haven't been trained so all the emotions in the crowd made me….sick." He ah'ed and nodded.

"So crowds of people like that…"

"Usually I'm fine, but I overestimated my ability to filter the emotions." Alice picked up Oshawott and sat him in her lap. "Sorry to worry you Musa, I'm okay now. You're being there helped quite a bit actually, I might have passed out without the extra support."

' _As long as you're okay_.' The otter cuddled into her stomach and she giggled and hugged him back. N watched the interaction with curious eyes.

"So he is your friend?" She tilted her head at him for the phrasing but nodded.

"Yup, Musa here is my starter pokemon. I'm a new trainer." N frowned.

"You're...a trainer? Does that mean you confine your friend to a pokeball?" She frowned and thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I have probably kept him out more than confined. I plan to have him outside whenever I can so we can bond." She pressed her cheek to Musashi's, "Especially while he's the perfect size for hugging." She noticed his displeased expression. "Do you not like trainers?" N shook his head and she asked, "How come?"

"Because trainers force their pokemon to battle!" The Oshawott in her lap protested at that, hugging his trainer tighter and glaring at N who seemed taken aback.

' _Alice wouldn't do that!'_

"What do you mean she doesn't force you to fight?" Alice watched with curious eyes when N's brows furrowed.

"You can hear Musashi?" N abruptly stopped talking and looked at Alice warily.

"I can hear the hearts of pokemon." Alice's eyes twinkled in awe.

"Cool! I can only talk to Musashi." N stood from the bench and waved a hand, a Purrloin running to his side as he turned to face her.

"I don't like to see a pokemon injured, but would you mind battling me and Purrloin?" Alice looked down at her partner who looked up with determined eyes. He nodded.

"Sure I guess, Musa seems fine with it." The Oshawott hopped from her lap and took a battle stance across from the Purrloin, his trainer standing and walking to stand behind him. "Let's do this." She pulled out her Pokédex to scan the cat, despite not really needing it.

 **Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon.** **Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back.**

She nodded and closed the device. "Watch the claws Musashi, let's start with Focus Energy." The otter closed his eyes and focused himself, making his body glow white briefly before his eyes snapped open. He jumped to the side as his opponent ran forward to scratch at his face, then pulled out his Scalchop to block the second swipe.

"Water Gun!" A strong blast of water hit the Purrloin and pushed it back, causing the pokemon to hiss and shake the water from its fur before letting out a Growl. Oshawott winced at the sound before crying out from a sudden Scratch to the side. The otter glared at the smirking cat, whipping his scalchop out to his side and pushing water energy out to form a blade, then slashing it at his opponent. Purrloin was launched back and skidded to a halt in a dead faint. Oshawott sighed in relief, letting the energy go and sitting down tiredly.

"You okay Musa? You did a great job." The otter turned his head to see his trainer kneeling beside him with a proud smile, a blue berry held in her outstretched fingers. He smiled tiredly and accepted the Oran berry from her, chewing it as she gently lifted him into her arms. N watched this as he tended to his friend, somewhat pleased with the result. He glanced down at his friend thoughtfully, running a hand through her short fur as she ate her berry.

"Purrloin that was some quick thinking there. Thank you for such a great match." The Devious pokemon blushed and nodded. Alice crouched beside N and scratched the kit behind the ear gently, earning a hesitant purr from the pokemon. N seemed surprised and Alice glanced at him.

"What?"

"Purrloin usually isn't comfortable around humans..Yet she doesn't seem to mind your touch." Alice grinned and wiggled her fingers at him, winking.

"I've got that magic touch." She went back to scratching the two pokemon and N tilted his head with a puppy-like confusion on his features.

"Ahh.." N's tone was understanding despite the confusion on his face. Alice giggled.

"Let's just say I project a pulse of emotion every few minutes. Nothing too complicated." He nodded, a bit more comprehending now. Alice stood up, her now sleeping Oshawott cradled in her arms with a content expression.

"I have to get going before my friends start to worry..Will we meet again, N?" The green-haired man shrugged, thinking for a moment before nodding and standing as well, Purrloin settled on his shoulder.

"I don't see why not. Can you teach me more about this world, I wonder?" Alice, who'd started to walk away, turned to face him with a smile, a determined glint in her eyes.

"We'll learn together. Promise."


	2. Chapter 2: A New Friend

**Hey everyone, Kura here!**

 **So just as a warning, this chapter is kinda everywhere since its more of the calm before the storm. Most chapters probably won't skip from place to place like this and I'll try to make future transitions a bit smoother than they were in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it all the same though!**

* * *

The group of friends departed around noon the next day, after a nice breakfast provided by the pokemon center and a short training session with their pokemon. The group of friends left Accumula and began making their way through Route two with their starters outside their pokeballs; Snivy taking up residence on Cheren's shoulder, Oshawott holding onto Alice's dark blue sweats with a small white paw, and Tepig riding in his trainer's arms. Admittedly not much happened on Route 2 outside of a few trainer battles and our trainers reached Striaton City by sunset without any trouble. Alice was a bit down from not finding anything she wanted to capture though, something her friends seemed to notice as they paused just inside the city.

"Don't worry Alice, I'm sure you'll find a pokemon you want soon!" Bianca stated confidently, hugging the downtrodden girl around the shoulders and pressing their cheeks together affectionately. Alice shrugged in response, rubbing her cheek against Bianca's for a moment before pulling away. She hugged her tired starter uncertainly.

"I hope so, I don't like having to tire Musa out so much. Even if he is getting stronger because of it, it really isn't fair to him." Alice said contritely, rubbing her little friend's head gently. The oshawott shook his head and looked up at her with determination.

 _'Don't worry about me, Alice, I'm just fine!'_ His boyish voice echoes in her mind and she smiles slightly, squeezing him to her chest and rubbing his head.

She returned her attention to her worried friends and her smile widened a bit, "Anyway, let's find the Pokemon Center for now. We can challenge the gym tomorrow." Her companions nodded and they started to search for the red-roofed building.

A few wrong turns and some directions later had the trio walking into the chilly interior of the center, Bianca and Cheren quietly arguing about getting lost. Alice walked ahead of the arguing pair, a resigned look in her eyes as she lead them to the front desk. They handed the Nurse Joy on duty their pokemon before settling on the usual two rooms, though Cheren would have to share with another guy since there weren't anymore single rooms available. They agreed Bianca would be the one to stick around and pick the pokemon up, Cheren taking her bags and following Alice down the hall to the girl's room first. As he sat down the bag however, an idea occurred to him alongside a detail he'd somehow forgotten to mention.

Cheren turned to face Alice, watching her dig through her bag for something as he spoke. "Maybe you should check out the Dreamyard, Alice." Alice glanced at her friend, finding him leaning against the wall by the door watching her. She hummed a question as she returned her attention to finding her brush.

"The Dreamyard, huh," murmured Alice thoughtfully, "Any particular reason why?" She recalled reading something about the place in one of her books about the region, but she didn't recall there being anything she particularly wanted in that area.

Cheren shrugged, "I know not having a second pokemon is bothering you. Not to mention I just remembered reading that the gym battle is a two-on-two, so you'll probably want to find another pokemon before you challenge it." Alice grimaced before releasing a sigh and slumping down onto the bed. Cheren walked over and sat on the edge beside her. Alice's lips pursed into a pout and he chuckled.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, it was merely a suggestion." Cheren added, poking her cheek with his forefinger. Alice smiled, then turned her head hearing the click of the door as Bianca returned with their pokemon. The blonde sat across from them on the other bed, handing over their pokeballs and releasing her tepig to get ready for bed. Alice released Musa from his ball and he cuddled up to her side sleepily.

"Say Musashi, what do you say to looking for a friend at the Dreamyard tomorrow?" Alice asked, rubbing under his chin with her finger when he placed it on her lap to look at her. He gave a purr-like sound and she giggled at the odd feeling, lifting him so his head laid on her chest and his little body stretched down her belly. He snuggled close and listened to her heartbeat, brown eyes drifting shut tiredly.

 _'Sounds...okay to me…'_ With that final thought Musa curled into her chest and fell asleep, drawing a smile from Alice as she rubbed slow circles on his back. She glanced up at Cheren and he chuckled, patting her head and standing up.

"I do believe that's my cue. I'll see you guys in the morning." Cheren said quietly, adjusting his glasses and patting Bianca's head in a similar manner as he headed towards the door. Alice gave him a lazy wave and carefully shifted herself so she was laid properly on the bed, one hand keeping her otter pressed against her chest as she pulled the covers over them both. She wrapped her arms loosely around her friend and yawned, giving a sleepy 'Good night' to Bianca as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _Next morning- 9:12 am_

"So this is the Dreamyard, huh?"

Musa nodded slowly, looking around at the crumbling building and grassy field as Alice crouched to read a fallen sign, curious about what could have happened to the place. The faded letters were too difficult to make out.

"I wonder how it ended up like this." Alice mumbled, standing and continuing in further to look around for any signs of life. Musashi grabbed a paw full of her dark blue sweats and stayed close by as they looked around. They'd come alone, having decided to leave Bianca and Cheren behind to prep for their gym battles, and Alice was starting to regret the decision as she heard a quiet growl from deeper inside the building. Both pokemon and trainer shivered at the unnerving sound.

"Boo." They jumped as a female voice spoke behind them, yelping in surprise after walking so long in a tense silence. A light giggle had them turn around, warily registering a tall girl with light brown hair smiling at them. She gave the pair an amused smile

"Gah!" Alice squeaked, pressing herself against a crumbling wall, clutching the shirt over her chest as her heart threatened to migrate from her ribcage. She didn't even hear the older girl come up.

"You two were just so tense, I couldn't resist, sorry." The girl said, stifling a slight laugh. Alice and her Oshawott sighed in relief.

The brunette girl snickered and patted Alice's head, "I'm Mari, nice to meet you. By any chance are you a trainer?" Alice nodded, glancing down to check on Musashi. He'd buried his face into her pants leg when the other girl spooked them, looking for all the world like he'd just had a heart attack. She smiled as he looked up to check on her, reaching down to scoop him up and run a soothing hand over his back.

"Yeah." Alice said, feeling her otter's emotions calm down as she bounced him in a baby-like fashion. Mari gave them both an apologetic look and swung her orange drawstring bag to her front. She rummaged inside it for a moment drew out a standard pokeball and held it out to Alice, waiting for her to take it before swinging the bag back onto her back.

"I've been looking for a trainer to give that pokemon to, how about you take it off my hands? Think of it as an apology for spooking you and your Oshawott so much." Alice blinked in surprise and looked at the pokeball. She hesitantly opened the pokeball, watching as the pokemon inside was released. An orange and light tan monkey appeared, blinking big black eyes as if waking from a nap. It looked around curiously and Musashi peered down at it from his place in his trainer's arms.

"A Pansear." Alice breathed. The elemental monkeys were known for being pretty hard to find in the wild, and yet here she was being given one? She looked back at the girl with wide eyes, disbelief slacking her jaw. "B-but-"

Mari held up a hand to stop her and looked down at the fire monkey affectionately, "This Pansear likes to battle more than its siblings, but I'm a full-time breeder so I don't leave the area much. Pansear should be allowed to battle and explore the world with a proper trainer, instead of just being stuck at the house. Please, would you take it with you?" Mari all but begged the younger girl, eyes pleading. Alice gave the monkey an unsure glance and it looked up at her and smiled. Alice smiled back hesitantly and crouched down to be level with it.

"Well, I guess I don't mind, is it okay with you Musashi?" Musashi gave an adorable grin and nodded, hopping from Alice's arms and waddling over to give the pansear a hug. The monkey hugged the otter back, then bounded over and hugged Alice's knee which earned a giggle from the girl. The Pansear looked up at her, meeting her eyes eagerly and Alice felt slightly lightheaded as another rush of foreign memories entered her headspace. A blink brought her back to the present, leading her to pat the warm fur of her new addition thoughtfully.

"Who am I to deny such an offer. Would you like to come battle with me then, Pansear?" Alice asked carefully. The monkey smiled and nodded and Alice swept the monkey into her arms for a proper hug, earning a surprised squeal from the creature as well as a giggle. She felt a light nudge at her leg and looked down to see Musashi with a petulant pout, the otter's brown eyes big and pleading.

 _'Musa too!'_ Alice laughed and scooped him back up as well, cuddling both pokemon happily.

"Don't worry Musa, you're cuddly too." Alice giggled and looked up at Mari, eyes bright with determination, "I'll take great care of Pansear, promise!" The older girl nodded and waved as she walked away. Alice looked down at her pokemon with a grin before glancing up at the crumbling ceiling to check the sky.

"Looks around 10 or so. We found a friend a lot faster than I thought so we have some time to train.. What do you say? Should we train up and challenge the gym today, or wait until tomorrow?"

 _'Maybe we should wait, master.'_ Alice blinked. _That_ voice was new to her. She looked at Pansear and tilted her head.

"Was that you?" Alice questioned. The monkey blinked and squinted, intrigued.

 _'You can understand me?'_ asked the little monkey. Alice nodded slowly, thinking on what such a revelation could mean. She exchanged a look with Musashi, who was looking between her and Pansear in surprise.

"I wonder if this will happen with all pokemon I catch?" Alice murmured belatedly. She shrugged and started walking back to town, both pokemon cradled in her arms slowly dozing to the rhythmic rocking and quiet humming of their trainer.

The trio reached town relatively fast, since they hadn't actually moved all that far into the yard before encountering Mari, and as Alice walked through the streets she noticed a green-haired young man staring thoughtfully at the door to what seemed to be a restaurant, his long arms wrapped around several bags of groceries. She blinked, then blushed lightly as his eyes met hers as he was looking around.

 _He's kinda cute actually.._ The boy had a gentle air about him, his white dress shirt and black slacks giving him a rather classy look that meshed well with his kind green eyes and slicked back light green hair. He gave her a sheepish look and Alice snapped out of her daze, tilting her head. He gave her an awkward smile.

"Uhm hello, can you open that door for me?" He shifted the bags in his arms carefully and Alice giggled and nodded, shifting her passengers to one arm as she walked over to him. She reached out a hand and pulled the door open for him, letting him slip in before curiously following him inside. She gave a low whistle, glancing around at the decor in interest. Two young men that resembled him faintly strode over as soon as the doors opened, each lifting a bag from him and carrying it elsewhere, drawing a relieved sigh from him as he smiled. He looked back at Alice, smile still in place as he gave a short bow to her

"Thank you miss, I might've been stuck for quite a while had you not come along." He said, tone formal.

Alice chuckled and waved him off. "No trouble at all, Cilan."

He blinked in surprise and straightened, eyes sharpening as he looked at her closer. "I see..I don't believe I told you my name, did I?" Alice shook her head and chuckled, allowing the now awake pokemon in her arms to get down before responding.

"Ah, but I do not need such an introduction. I memorized all of the gym leaders, including you and your brothers." Alice commented, tone slightly smug. Cilan hummed and crossed his arms, gripping his chin in one hand as he searched her face thoughtfully. His vivid green eyes fell to the pokemon at her feet and he took a moment to study them before returning his attention to Alice.

"Does this mean you wish to battle? Your pokemon look rather...inexperienced." He paused briefly near the end of his inquiry and Alice narrowed her eyes slightly at his implication.

"In that case it should be obvious I'm a new trainer, ne?" She bit back lightly, then chuckled. "But no I won't be challenging you today, I'd like to train my new pokemon a bit before I battle with it." Alice stated. Cilan nodded thoughtfully, reaching a hand into a pocket of his slacks and pulling out a card. He handed it to her with a challenging twinkle in his eye and as their fingers brushed Alice was greeted with a short feeling of intrigue from him. She pocketed the card after a moment and blew out a breath from her nose as she chose to ignore it for the moment.

"In that case, please call when you're ready. I look forward to evaluating the bond between you and your pokemon." Cilan said, backing away from her with a smile. Alice gave a brief smirk before it slipped into an equally challenging smile.

"I think some friends of mine will be challenging the gym today, so I guess I'll be back later. See you around, Cilan." He gave a short wave and Alice waved back, feeling Musashi grab her pants as the pair of pokemon followed her out.

Cilan watched them go with a smile on his lips, noting the presence of Cress as he sidled up beside him and giving him a questioning look.

"She seems..interesting.." Cress murmured softly, watching as the doors swung shut with a decisive thud. Cilan crossed his arms and nodded, a smile still on his lips as he glanced at his blue-haired sibling from the corner of his eye.

"Interesting indeed," hummed the green-haired young man. He turned on his heel and headed off to the kitchen, his brother watching him go with a thoughtful gaze. Cress chuckled, a small smile on his face as he gave a bow to an entering lady.

* * *

Alice sat at the edge of the training field, her eyes focused on the pokemon in front of her as she brought out her pokedex to scan them.

"So, first things first, Pansear I need to scan you alright? This will hopefully tell me a bit more about your species as well as what moves you know." The fire monkey nodded, standing still as Alice pointed her pokedex at it.

 **Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. Pansear lives in caves near volcanoes. The temperature on the tuft on its head can reach 600 degrees when it's angry.**

 **This Pansear is Female and carries the hidden ability Blaze.**

 **Moves: Scratch, Leer, Lick, Incinerate, Nasty Plot (Locked), Fire Spin (Unlocked)**

"Nasty Plot?" She thought for a moment before frowning and looking up the unfamiliar move. She faintly recalled reading about the move, but it would be good to refresh the memory. She scrolled to the move and pressed a button to pull up the information on it.

 ** _The user stimulates its brain by thinking bad thoughts._** ** _Nasty Plot is a non-damaging dark-type move that boosts the power of ranged attacks in battle._**

"Huh, well that's pretty cool then. It seems pretty simple but does it have any tips on teaching it?" Alice scrolled for a moment before Musashi poked her elbow, drawing her out of her thoughts.

 _'Alice can you give us something to work on before you go reading the entire dex please?'_

Alice sheepishly scratched her cheek and nodded, chuckling mildly. "Sorry about that, Musa. Let me scan you again so I can figure out what you should work on, alright?" The oshawott nodded and stepped back so she could scan him.

 **Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon.**

 **Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Water Sport, Focus Energy, Razor Shell, Fury Cutter, Detect (Locked)**

"So how about we work on accuracy today? I found another move I'll be teaching you, but I want you to be very good at using and handling your scalchop before we learn anything new." She looked to makes sure he was following and Musa nodded. She continued her line of thought, "Once I get Pansear set up with her move we're going to work on your aim by hitting small rocks with your scalchop. Sound alright?" Musashi nodded and stepped off to the side a bit. Alice turned back to Pansear and smiled.

"Now as for you little miss, how about we start with a nickname?" Pansear nodded happily and Alice smiled again. "How about Momo? I think it'd be a good fit for you." Pansear's tail waved happily and the little monkey nodded, accepting the nickname with a delighted sound.

 _'Momo!'_ Alice laughed and gently scratched at the flame-shaped tuft on her monkey's head.

"Alright then Momo, today I'm going to teach you a move called Dig. It's pretty easy to learn actually, all you need to do is dig a hole in the ground. Once you can dig a proper hole and come back up we'll work on the speed at which you can dig." Momo nodded in determination, clenching her paws eagerly. Alice laughed and waved her off, watching as the High Temp Pokémon galloped a distance away and began digging her first hole. Turning back to face Musashi, Alice rummaged through her bag until she found a handful of smooth rocks, something she'd been collecting as of the last day or so, and she stood to walk over to her otter friend.

"Draw your scalchop Musa." He obeyed and held it out in front of himself, a blade of water erupting from the arc of the shell to give it a sword-like appearance. Alice smiled and held up her rocks. "We'll be using these alright? Your final goal will be to be able to hit them back, but for now we'll focus on hitting them at all. Ready?" He nodded and Alice began throwing the stones at him, watching him swing his water blade for the incoming stones only to miss them. He swung again and hit one across the field, then missed another on the back swing. By the end of ten throws he'd hit three stones, making him droop slightly in disappointment. Alice patted his head encouragingly.

"It's okay Musa, that's why we're practicing! Just remember to swing for where it will be, not where it is." Alice said gently, smiling as his face grew determined and he got back into a ready position. "That's the spirit! Let's try again."

Around the 2 hour mark they took a short break, Momo having dug several holes by that point trying to get faster with her Dig and Musa having made good progress with his razor shell accuracy, his best being six stones knocked away. Alice handed out snacks to her pokemon and settled down with them to relax in the shade of the pokemon center. She heard footsteps to her right and turned to watch Cheren walk towards her. She shifted to lean on one arm as she lifted the other to give her friend a finger wave.

"Hey there Cher! Meet my newest addition, Momo the Pansear." Alice gestured to her monkey and cackled as her friend stumbled, feeling her Pansear tuck herself under the arm opposite the direction Cheren was coming from to hide herself slightly behind her trainer's body. Momo peaked around her shyly and waved at Cheren, who collected himself and waved back.

"Of course you would be the one to find an elemental monkey in the Dreamyard of all places," sighed Cheren. Alice chose not to mention that a girl had _given_ her Momo. He settled on the ground behind Alice and she leaned against his back, feeling him push back against her until they met a comfortable medium. She felt him shift and heard his pokeballs snap open to reveal his Snivy and Patrat, both of them looking around for a moment before noticing the relaxed pair of trainers and walking over to settle near the other pokemon.

"So will you and Bianca be challenging the gym today?" Alice asked, voice soft as she rested contently against her friend. The boy at her back shrugged and she wiggled her toes in her shoes as he collected his thoughts.

"I plan to take it on today. I think Bianca is too, she's been trying to decide on a battle order for the last hour or so," said Cheren, just as soft. Both of them shook their heads in fond exasperation at the thought. While they could understand her worry she only had two pokemon, and it wasn't like she was bad at adapting to new situations.

"I recall she said something about planning a strategy..does that mean she's picking the order to decide which of her pokemon faces what?" Alice pondered. Cheren bumped the back of his head lightly against Alice's, drawing a chuckle from the girl as she bumped back.

"Possibly." He agreed and they sat in relative silence for the next few minutes.

Alice's Xtransceiver chimed a warning to let her know their break was over and she huffed, carefully standing up so Cheren didn't topple and clicking her tongue, "Time for us to get back to work. What time do you plan to challenge the gym?" Cheren turned his upper body to face her and shrugged again, stretching as he stood as well.

"I'll talk it over with Bianca first, but probably not until around 2:30 or 3. Mind if we join you? Patrat and Snivy need a bit more practice with their new moves before I let them use them in battle." He added the last part with a pat of his pokemon's heads. Alice smiled and nodded, chatting a bit with him as they got ready for another bout of training.

* * *

 **How'd I do? It took a bit of trial and error but I finally finished chapter two.. Did I jump around too much? If so I'm sorry, hopefully I'll be getting better. Thanks to those who favorited and reviewed last chapter! I got some advice and some encouragement, both of which I am grateful for.**

 **Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long!**

 ** _Next time: The Trio Badge!_**


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